Beview of Eeviews, Iil,/13. 



LEADING ARTICLES. 



163 



garian army from the Russian tutelage 

 and taught it confidence, supplemented 

 by a victorious campaign. During the 

 followmg years there was made a com- 

 plete reorganisation of the Bulgarian 

 army, which eliminated the last traces 

 of Russian influences. The military 

 school at Sofia became a true national 

 institution, and all the young genera- 

 tion of officers was formed exclusively 

 at home. 



During all that period the Russian 

 military schools were closed to Bul- 

 garians, and those who had to receive 

 special training abroad (general staff, 

 engineers, artillery) turned their steps 

 toward western nations ; the greater 

 number followed courses at the Italian 

 xnilitary academy at Turin. A certain 

 number went to Austria and Belgium ; 

 on the other hand all requests made to 

 Berlin were refused, so that not a single 

 Bulgarian ofhcer has received his in- 

 struction in the military state par excel- 

 lence. France, which was struggling to 

 obtain an alliance with Russia, refused 

 similarly to admit Bulgarians to its 

 military schools, and has only changed 

 its attitude within the last few years. 

 The officers who during this second 

 period were trained abroad are nearly 

 all colonels, and some have attained the 

 highest and most responsible posts in 

 the army. Three have become generals, 

 of whom General Fitchev is the chief of 

 the staff and the right-hancl man of the 

 commander-in-chief ; a second, General 

 Naslovitch, formerly chief of the staff, 

 commands the cavalry division ; 

 and the third, General Yankov, is 

 head of the engineer corps. All 

 received their training at the Mili- 

 tary Academy of Turin, through 

 which also passed Colonel Papadopov, 

 chief of the staff of the Bulgarian army 

 in the west ; Colonel KoJov, command- 

 ing the Guard ; Colonel Mitov, com- 

 manding the Philippopolis Brigade, 

 Colonel Patov, commanding the Slivno 

 Brigade ; and Colonel Yekov, head of 

 the Soha Military School. All are con- 

 sidered the most capable officers in the 

 Bulgarian army. 



Since the year 1896 the Russian 

 schools have been again opened to Bul- 

 garians, and several hundreds of Bul- 



garian officers have Russian certificates. 

 The connection with the Italian schools 

 continues, but of late years the numbers 

 frecjuenting them are relatively few. 

 The same may be said of those taking 

 courses in Austria, Belgium and France. 

 Such in brief are the obligations the 

 Bulgarian army is under to foreign 

 countries. The total number of Bul- 

 garian officers who after having passed 

 through the military school at Soha and 

 after active service of six or seven }-ears 

 were sent abroad, do not exceed two 

 hundred. That is about 7 per cent, of 

 the corps of officers; the great major- 

 ity of them have been educated exclu- 

 sively in Bulgaria. They form the 

 strength of the army, and carry the im- 

 press of serious work. The manner in 

 which the work has been done is signi- 

 ficant of the value and the qualities of 

 the nation whose principal characteris- 

 tic is its thoroughness. 



No attempt was made to obliterate 

 the fundamental lines, but profit has 

 been drawn from the experiences of all 

 the military nations. The progress of the 

 great European armiee has been fol- 

 lowed with attention, and hardl}' a day 

 has passed without some improvement 

 being introduced. The great principle 

 has always been to adapt to the national 

 life all that could be borrowed from 

 abroad, not to imitate, but to appro- 

 priate things, and in that sense it can 

 be safely said that the Bulgarian army 

 has always been what it will remain — a 

 national army. 



In the recent campaign the result of 

 the training it underwent must be a 

 warning to every army. The complete 

 preparedness and the swiftness with 

 which the blow was delivered b)- the 

 Bulgarian army secured them the vic- 

 tory, for everything now known of the 

 causes of the Turkish defeat goes to 

 prove that the fighting qualities of the 

 Turkish soldier have not deteriorated. 



The reports of the shortcomings of 

 the Turkish commissariat are almost in- 

 credible, while some of the statements 

 circulating in the European press seem 

 to point to something very like treason 

 in high quarters. But great experience 

 has been gained by the onlookers at the 

 terrible drama that has been enacted 



